]]>Above Belowhttp://mylifeatspeed.com/above-below/
Fri, 12 Feb 2016 07:50:16 +0000http://mylifeatspeed.com/?p=50282We’ve all seen the videos. People hurtling themselves around urban landscapes on skateboards and bicycles; and usually set to dubstep or some sort of thumping EDM. The athletes often wear big t-shirts and droopy pants or skinny jeans. More often than not (thankfully) these brave souls will wear a helmet, adorned with a highly visible […]

]]>We’ve all seen the videos. People hurtling themselves around urban landscapes on skateboards and bicycles; and usually set to dubstep or some sort of thumping EDM. The athletes often wear big t-shirts and droopy pants or skinny jeans. More often than not (thankfully) these brave souls will wear a helmet, adorned with a highly visible energy drink logo that, not without considerable effort, finds its way into those HD slow motion shots that every single one of these videos have nowadays. Yes, yes, we’ve pretty much seen them all, but then there’s this one.

“Above Below” is a documentary produced by Monster Energy in association with DIG BMX. In it director Richard Forne takes us beyond the viral videos’ gloss and polish to reveal a small taste the gritty reality the BMX athletes’ lives. Action footage shares time with interviews where Ben Lewis, Dakota Roche, Fernando Laczko, Ed Zunda, Nathan Williams and Dan Lacey speak candidly about their sport. Actually sport is too mild a word. Riding BMX is a lifestyle, compulsion, obsession, a calling to them, and indeed better left described in their own words through Forne’s work.

You can’t help but admire their dogged nature to keep going when even their own bodies refuse to cooperate. Admittedly it was uncomfortable to see them push past pain and injury or risking arrest for sake of a trick; but this is how they live. They set out to accomplish a task and won’t stop until it’s done. No matter how long it takes and even if the cost is leaving their blood on the pavement. Some may call them crazy, but I wonder if we’ve ever had that level of passion and determination for anything in our lives, or ever will.

]]>New Volvo Trucks video: four-year-old remote controls truck into 360 spinhttp://mylifeatspeed.com/new-volvo-trucks-video-four-year-old-remote-controls-truck-into-360-spin/
Thu, 10 Dec 2015 16:59:59 +0000http://mylifeatspeed.com/?p=49820 For me, this tops the Van Damme ‘split between two trucks while driving’ stunt. While cool, there is something about this video that brings me back to my own childhood, very I would envision similar scenarios. Now they have been brought it to life. Enjoy. Full Press Release: Once again Volvo Trucks is pushing […]

]]>In Volvo Trucks’ “Look who’s driving” four-year-old Sophie subjects the Volvo FMX to the toughest challenge yet in the Live Test series. The film is a follow-up to previous global successes in the series, such as The Epic Split and The Hamster Stunt.

For me, this tops the Van Damme ‘split between two trucks while driving’ stunt. While cool, there is something about this video that brings me back to my own childhood, very I would envision similar scenarios. Now they have been brought it to life. Enjoy.

Full Press Release:

Once again Volvo Trucks is pushing the boundaries of what is humanly possible – or at least possible with a truck. In the most recent Live Test, “Look who’s driving”, four-year-old Sophie drives an 18 tonne Volvo FMX through a construction area using a remote control. Sophie puts the truck through some serious manoeuvres, including driving through a thick brick wall and climbing a steep, soft slope, before rolling all the way down in a full 360-degree turn.

Over the year, the truck has been given several new functions, such as the Automatic Traction Control – an all-wheel drive system that kicks in automatically when needed. With the “Look who’s driving”, Volvo Trucks wants to show how much the truck can tolerate.

“To show what the truck can do, we wanted to give it a real challenge. What test driver is more reckless than an unpredictable four-year-old?” asks Ricard Fritz, Vice President of Volvo Trucks.

This is not the first time Volvo Trucks has used an unusual driver to showcase the performance of its trucks. In the 2013 YouTube hit The Hamster Stunt – part 3 in the Volvo Trucks Live Test series – a hamster drove a Volvo FMX. This was in order to showcase the truck’s dynamic steering that’s so easy to handle that even a heavy truck can be controlled with just the fingertips on the steering wheel.

The Live Tests series

– The “Look who’s driving” is the seventh test in Volvo Trucks’ Live Test series, starting with The Ballerina Stunt, launched in 2012. Previous tests also include viral successes such as The Hook, The Hamster Stunt and The Epic Split.

– The idea behind the Live Test series is to showcase the performance of Volvo trucks by putting them through spectacular tests.

– The Live Test series has been viewed over 100 million times on YouTube and has been shared 8 million times online.

– Automatic Traction Control – automatic all-wheel drive, activated when needed. The result is better traction, less wear and tear and lower fuel consumption.

– Sturdy Front Corner – bumpers made of 3 millimetre thick high grade steel as an extension of the chassis.

– Skid Plate – protects the truck from loose objects, e.g. when driving on gravel or stony areas. The 3 millimetre thick steel Skid Plate is built to withstand at least 5 tonnes of pressure.
– Volvo FMX has a ground clearance of 30 cm, meaning that vital parts such as the suspension and brake discs aren’t at risk of damage when running on rough ground.

– Body in white – the unique “body in white” cabin design protects the driver from injury, including if the truck turns on its side.

– Waterproof – Volvo FMX is built to work in the toughest conditions, including water. All sensitive parts are placed and sealed to keep dirt and water out.

Here is some behind the scenes footage as well as facts about the Volvo FMX

Truck facts

Truck: Volvo FMX 8×6 All Wheel Drive

Horsepower: 540

Specification: Day Cab, Dumper Body, I-Shift, Chassis Extra High

While not the shiny new beast that the young test driver was in control of in the video, there are some good, hard working Volvo trucks available stateside. Check out these finds on eBay Motors (click on the photos to check out the auction!):

]]>Black Friday [Hoonigan] stylehttp://mylifeatspeed.com/black-friday-hoonigan-style/
Wed, 25 Nov 2015 01:28:21 +0000http://mylifeatspeed.com/?p=49774It’s that time of year again, when people come together with a common goal. To participate in the ritual of the turkey coma midnight sales rush. Thats right, Black Friday. Where people stand in line waiting in the cold, hoping to make it to your sought after item of desire. Now often people are in […]

]]>It’s that time of year again, when people come together with a common goal. To participate in the ritual of the turkey coma midnight sales rush. Thats right, Black Friday. Where people stand in line waiting in the cold, hoping to make it to your sought after item of desire.

Now often people are in these lines for hours on end. Bored, cold, and uncomfortable. Well, you are in luck. For I have here 3 minutes and 56 seconds of pure enjoyment. An escape from your seemingly endless wait. And the good news, you can watch it over and over as you inch closer to the clock striking midnight. So pop in those earbuds and assault your lethargic senses with this menagerie of motorsports.

]]>Hot Wheels Count Down | Top 5 Stunts | Hot Wheelshttp://mylifeatspeed.com/hot-wheels-count-down-top-5-stunts-hot-wheels/
Tue, 17 Nov 2015 04:26:56 +0000http://mylifeatspeed.com/?p=49706Just in time for Guinness World Record Day on November 16th, we’re counting down our top 5 epic stunts. Hot Wheels still holds two Guinness World Records – the longest jump record with our Indy 500 jump with Tanner Foust and the Double Loop Dare with Greg Tracy and Tanner Foust. Watch now as we […]

]]>Just in time for Guinness World Record Day on November 16th, we’re counting down our top 5 epic stunts. Hot Wheels still holds two Guinness World Records – the longest jump record with our Indy 500 jump with Tanner Foust and the Double Loop Dare with Greg Tracy and Tanner Foust. Watch now as we relive these adrenaline fueled stunts from the past few years.

]]>The Days of Nola, Day One with Kevin Watermanhttp://mylifeatspeed.com/the-days-of-nola-day-one-with-kevin-waterman/
http://mylifeatspeed.com/the-days-of-nola-day-one-with-kevin-waterman/#commentsFri, 02 Oct 2015 00:08:01 +0000http://mylifeatspeed.com/?p=49133Long time friend, Kevin Waterman first invited me down to Nola Motorsports Park in New Orleans this past April for the Inaugural running of the Grand Prix of Louisiana. This was the first time that IndyCar had been to this new track. For me, it was my first time to an IndyCar race and also […]

]]>Kevin takes off with a little help from his ramp. The rest is up to him!

Long time friend, Kevin Waterman first invited me down to Nola Motorsports Park in New Orleans this past April for the Inaugural running of the Grand Prix of Louisiana. This was the first time that IndyCar had been to this new track. For me, it was my first time to an IndyCar race and also my first time at the track.

Needless to say, I had a great time but not enough time to truly appreciate the great road course that is Nola Motorsports Park. Now Kevin, being the gracious host and good friend, invited me back down later in the year to check out the track as well as partake in some of the events held at the track and show off some of his stunt driving to boot.

Kevin had decided he wanted to become a stunt driver while living in Florida. He initially got his start in stunt driving at Disney’s Lights, Motor, Action. He has since moved to New Orleans where he does various work as a stunt man or stunt driving for movies and commericals. See the video below for a quick interview where we ask Kevin about how he got started and what lies ahead for him in the future.

His main vehicle is a purpose built E30 BMW. His bread and butter is driving it up on two wheels along with various drifting and technical maneuvers. He has had it for 7 years now and it is still going strong. He’s not easy on the car to say the least and it just keeps going. It has a full roll cage, welded rear differential, upgraded clutch, fire suppression system, fuel cell, upgraded bushings, race seats and 5 point harnesses. The engine though is virtually stock.

Kevin was kind enough to let me take the wheel and taught me a few maneuvers. The box park is fun!

Here’s a stunt reel of Kevin and his E30 from my visit to Nola.

Kevin Waterman Showing off some of his two wheeled driving. Tires don’t last very long when you ride on only the sidewalls

Kevin has aspirations to take his childhood dream car, the General Lee, and make it into the stunt car he has always wanted. He has since purchased the General Lee and will be working towards this goal in the very near future.

Kevin Waterman pictured with his personal General Lee

While not on set or performing stunt work, Kevin can generally (General Lee?!) be found at Nola Motorsports Park, where he and Scott Foremaster are the park’s only employed professional drivers. They do various driving events, from Pace Car driving for sanctioned racing to instruction in Nola’s Mustang Experience, which we will get into in a later article.

Kevin is a stand up guy, who I am privileged to call a friend. We have known each other for many years and even though we don’t get to see each other often, when we do, we just pick up where we left off. And if there is anything he can do to help you out, he does it without question. That’s the kind of person he is.

Stay tuned for more articles on my trip down to Nola Motorsports Park.

]]>Hyundai’s Record Setting Message to Spacehttp://mylifeatspeed.com/hyundai-record-setting-message-to-space/
Sat, 18 Apr 2015 20:06:12 +0000http://mylifeatspeed.com/?p=47393Hyundai found an exceptionally creative way to showcase the new Genesis. In “A Message to Space” their team sent young Stephanie’s special message to her father, who just happens to be in outer space. Her Dad is part of NASA’s Expedition 42, so a banner in the backyard or crop circles wouldn’t do the trick. […]

]]>Hyundai found an exceptionally creative way to showcase the new Genesis. In “A Message to Space” their team sent young Stephanie’s special message to her father, who just happens to be in outer space. Her Dad is part of NASA’s Expedition 42, so a banner in the backyard or crop circles wouldn’t do the trick. In order for the astronaut to see the message from the International Space Station, it would have to be 5.55 square kilometres. The best place was the Delamar Dry Lake, Nevada and eleven Hyundai Genesis cars driven with perfect synchronicity. Here’s the video and don’t forget to check out the behind-the-scenes which explains how this feat was accomplished. Well done, Hyundai!

]]>The World’s Fastest Tractorhttp://mylifeatspeed.com/the-worlds-fastest-tractor/
Fri, 10 Apr 2015 06:01:08 +0000http://mylifeatspeed.com/?p=47301YouTube Description by NokianTyresCom: Four-time Rally World Champion Juha Kankkunen sets a new Guinness World Record for the fastest speed ever recorded for tractors. Mr. Kankkunen whipped a Valtra T234 tractor up to a speed of 130.165 km/h on northproof Nokian Hakkapeliitta TRI tyres. The first winter tyre for tractors, Nokian Hakkapeliitta TRI, features all […]

Four-time Rally World Champion Juha Kankkunen sets a new Guinness World Record for the fastest speed ever recorded for tractors. Mr. Kankkunen whipped a Valtra T234 tractor up to a speed of 130.165 km/h on northproof Nokian Hakkapeliitta TRI tyres.

The first winter tyre for tractors, Nokian Hakkapeliitta TRI, features all new rubber compound, tread pattern and contact profile . It’s designed for single purpose: to give you all the grip, control and efficiency you need for demanding winter contracting.